Melissa
Lead Teacher
Melissa has been a member of UUCA since 2022, returning to a community she first connected with many years ago when her teens benefited from the church’s youth program. Her journey into early childhood education has been deeply shaped by both lived experience and a reverence for traditional, nature-centered learning.
Melissa--Heartsong’s Lead Teacher
While raising her children, Melissa discovered a Waldorf parent-child class in Annapolis that completely shifted her perspective on early education. What began as a quiet spark turned into a passionate calling. Inspired by years of immersion in Waldorf communities, school visits, and homeschooling conferences, she chose to formally pursue this path and is now rekindling the magic that first moved her.
In addition to co-creating Heartsong, Melissa teaches preschool-aged children in UUCA’s Spirit Play program each Sunday, where she delights in watching young learners engage with thoughtfully prepared indoor and outdoor spaces.
Outside the classroom, Melissa is an avid birder, hiker, and lover of history and film. She enjoys traveling to remote places to explore on foot and continues to expand her handwork skills in knitting, fiber arts, and drawing. She has been married to her husband for 31 years and is the proud mother of two grown daughters.
Melissa — along with the Heartsong faculty — looks forward to welcoming children and families into a nurturing, grounded, and wonder-filled learning community where exploration, creativity, and nature lead the way.
Lead Teacher--Education
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
Goucher College, 1994
90-Hour Early Childhood Education Certificate
State of Maryland
Early Childhood Teacher Training (Waldorf Education)
Sunbridge Institute, Chestnut Ridge, NY
Enrolled 2024 – Graduating Summer 2026
Certified Nature-Based Educator
Association for Nature-Based Education
Wilderness CPR & First Aid Certification
Wild/Med
Lead Teacher--Work Experience
Co-Creator, Heartsong Nature Preschool
Helping shape a holistic, play-based learning environment rooted in Waldorf principles and connection to nature.
Spirit Play Teacher, UUCA
Teaching preschool-aged children through storytelling, imaginative play, and thoughtfully prepared classroom environments.
Early Childhood Educational Experience:
Head Start educator (early career)
Federal preschool educator, Washington, DC
Stay-at-home parent
Dedicated to raising her children while actively exploring alternative education philosophies and practices.
Sarah
Director of Heartsong Nature Preschool
Sarah has served as the Director of Lifespan Faith Formation at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis since fall 2022 and a member since 2017. She is also the co-creator of Heartsong Nature Preschool, where she will step into the role of Director, guiding the school’s vision and educational leadership while an Administrator manages daily operations.
Formally, Sarah served as the Director of Magothy Cooperative Preschool, a nature-based cooperative preschool in Pasadena, MD for nearly 15 years. Under her leadership, the preschool transformed from a tiny cooperative nursery school into a MAOE certified, nature preschool serving over 50 children a year. Sarah also took the Association for Nature Based Education's Nature Educator certification course. She has a Bachelor's of Fine Arts and taught public high school early in her career.
Sarah is married and a mother of four young people. She enjoys travel, painting, and gardening.
We will be actively searching for and hiring a teacher assistant and a PT administrator in late spring 2026.
